Expansion head for torpedoes



Jan. 15, 1952 T. c. BOYLE EXPANSION HEAD FOR TORPEDOES 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct. 15, 1949 JNVENTOR. THOMAS 6. YLE

Lilli I a MN ww Jan. 15, 1952 O L 2,582,226

EXPANSION HEAD FOR TORPEDOES Filed Oct. 15, 1949 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 2

JNVENTOR.

THQMAS 6; QYLE Jan. 15, 1952 T, BQYLE 2,582,226

EXPANSION HEAD FOR TORPEDOES Filed Oct. 13. 1949 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG. 3

INVENTOR. THQMAS 6; @215 Patented Jan. 15, 1952 (Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended April 30, 1928; 3'70 0. G. 757) 10 Claims.

This invention relates to torpedoes and more particularly to a new and improved exercise head therefor.

It is customary to test the delicate mechanisms of torpedoes by substituting an exercise head for the usual war head and giving the device a run or Series of such runs which are intended to simulate the actual operating conditions when the torpedo is used for destructive action. In making such tests or practice runs with the exercise head attached, it is essential that the weight and buoyancy characteristics of the torpedo be substantially the same as when the war head is attached for use in enemy action.

An exercise head of this character usually includes a closed hollow shell like casing which is filled with a liquid ballast to provide the necessary weight. As the torpedo approaches the end .of the run, a valve connected to the air flask of the torpedo automatically admits air into the exercise head thus expelling the liquid ballast from the head through a suitable outlet valve. If the chamber in the exercise head is of sumcient capacity, the reduction in weight resulting from the discharge of the ballast causes the torpedo to become buoyant and it will rise to the surface where it may be easily located and recovered.

It is sometimes necessary to increase the weight of the exercise head to make it conform to the weight of a particular war head for which it is to be -substituted. Since this must be done without changing the exterior dimensions, it is the practice to secure a bar of heavy material such as lead in the bottom of the exercise head chamber to provide the necessary additional weight. When this is done with previously known exercise heads, the reduction in weight that occurs when the liquid ballast is expelled at the end of the run may not be great enough to give the torpedo the necessary positive buoyancy to cause it to rise to the surface. Accordingly, considerable difiiculty may be encountered in locating and recovering the torpedo. The present invention overcomes the disadvantages of prior art exercise heads and assures sufiicient buoyancy regardless of the weight carried by the exercise head.

It is an object of the present invention therefore to provide an exercise head which may be used as a substitute for a variety of war heads of diiferent weight.

A further object is to provide an exercise head .having a chamber that may be automatically ex- ;panded when positive buoyancy is desired.

.terior surface.

A still further object is the provision of an exercise head whose normal length is the same as that of the war head for which it serves as a re placement and which may be extended to increase its buoyancy.

Another object of this invention is to provide a valve actuated mechanism for automatically increasing the buoyancy of a torpedo,

Still another object is to provide an exercise head made up of a plurality of replaceable sections which are normally secured together to form a chamber of predetermined capacity.

Other objects and their attendant advantages will become apparent from the following description read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary longitudinal view partly in section illustrating one embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical view partly in section as viewed from the right end of Fig. 1 with the end plate removed; and

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view looking up from below and taken alonga line substantially correspondingto line 33 of Fig. 2.

As illustrated in Fig. 1, the present invention contemplates an extensible closed hollow casing comprising a nosepiece In which may be of cast metal or other suitable material and is formed with a suitable ogive contour on its forward ex- Projecting rearwardly from the nose and integral therewith is a cylindrical extension ll that is somewhat smaller in diameter than the major diameter of the nosepiece so that a shoulder I2 is formed at the juncture of these two members. A body member 13 tapered slighthi to conform with the contour of the nosepiece has a bore it in its front end corresponding to the diameter of the extension and is adapted for sliding telescopic engagement therewith. Suitable seals !5 and 15a of the 0 ring type, made of rubber or similar material, may be provided for the bore l4 and shoulder'lz to prevent leakage. A stop ring I6 may be secured to the right end of the extension H by screws H for limiting the extending movement of the nosepiece by engaging an internal shoulder 18 in the front end of body l3.

The right end of body 13 is adapted for attachment in the usual Way to the torpedo air flask portion of the conventional torpedo body (not shown) and has a partition 19 which forms one end of a ballast chamber 2d.

A shaft 2| having a plurality of splines 'disposed about its periphery extends axially of body l3.

. ing 26.v I

aesaeae and the plate may. be secured to the spider by bolts 25., Therightend ofshaft 2| may be I supported in'an elongated bearing 23. As illustrated in Fig. 3, the bearing 26 may be supported centrally of body l3 by a pair of oppositely disposed integrally cast arms 21 extending at an angle from the inner'wall of thebody to the bearing. 7 Relative rotation of body I3 and nosepiece H] is prevented by the splines which, as shown in Fig. 1, engage in slots formed in. bear A.releasable latch mechanism, described hereinafter normally secures the shaftagainst longi-,

tudinal movement in bearing 26 and thus retains the extension ll retracted in body l3 with the end of the body abutting against theshoulcler l2. ,It will be. noted from Figs. 1 and 3 that the might end of shaft 2| is provided with an axial opening for receiving a'vertically slotted latch" block 29 which is ,adjustably retained in place by a threaded plug 28. This plug may be locked the tension springs 44 pass over thecenter of pin When this occurs 'wardly into chamber 23' for supporting anoutlet levers 46 one pivotally mounted on each side of the bracket 39 by means of pin 46a andthey are connected at their lower or free ends to an out- I let valve in a manner to be described hereinafter. As the lower ends of levers 46 are moved to the right, rollers 41 engage an annular flange 48 on collar 43 causing the collar and its integral cone surface 42 to act against rollers 4| until 38; and the toggle breaks. release arms 33 and 34 and their corresponding toggle links 31 swing rapidly outwardly about the pivot pins 38. Shatf 2| is now free to move to the left. I

ln'the lower right end of body member 13 there,

is'an integral mounting boss 49 extending upvalve through which liquid ballast carried in the chamber ma be expelled. This valve includes in position by a spring tensioneddetentfitting whose outer end engages one of a series of I radially spaced notches 31 in the end of shaft 2|.

, The inner end of the detent, fitting may be bent I at right'angles to fit into a central hole in the 'shaft as shown in Fig. 1.

carries a transverse pin I 32 which bridges the vertical slot and is engageable by the notched I .ends of a pair of swingably mounted release arms 33 and 34 when the shaft is latched in retracted position. Arms 33 and 34 are oppositely disposed in a vertical plane, the former being mounted above and the latter below shaft 2| so that their notched ends may project into a vertical slot 36 in the shaft for releasable engagement with pin 32. The ends of these arms have shallow arcuate notches corresponding to the curvature of the pin 32 as shown. Since arms 33 and 34 are mounted and operate in an identical manner like reference numerals are employed to indicate like parts.

The outer end of arms 33' and 34 are pivotally mounted on their respective toggle pins which .in turn are carried on the end of a bifurcated toggle link 31. The opposite end of link 3'! is pivotally mounted on a transverse pin 38 in an outwardly projecting bracket 39 attached to bearing 26. Each of the toggle pins 35 carries a roller 4! that engage the inclined face of a cone carried on the right end of a collar 43. This collar is freely movable on shaft 2|. When shaft 2| is latched in retracted position as shown in Fig. 1,. it will be noted that arms 33 and 34 hold the rollers against the cone surface 42 and in addition, upon release of the toggle tend to throw the arms out of the path of movement of the shaft 2| in a manner to be hereinafter described. f

I Release of the above-described latch mechanism is accomplished by movement of a pair'of The latch block 29' I seat 5'! in thevalve body thus'providing a. seal a body 53 positioned in an opening extending,

through boss lil'and is'secured'to a shoulder in the upper portion of the boss by screws 5|. A I valve stem 52 vertically movable in the body has,

a relatively'deep internal recess for receiving a compression spring 53 that normally holds the valve closed. This spring is contained between an apertured plate 54 secured'in thelow'er'end of the valve body and the bottom of the recess in the stem. Plate '34 may 'be'retained in place by a flat snap ring 55 extending over the'edge 1 of the plate and fitted into an annular recess in thevalvebcdy. .Afilxed to valve stem 52'by 'locknut 55a is a flat annular washer of leather or similar material that is interposed'between a fiangeportion 56 on the stem and'a' flat valve for this outlet valve. When the valve is open the fluid ballast contained in chamber 20"m y be discharged through openings 58 extending through the boss and the walls of valvebody 49 and communicating with the outside by'openings 59 in retaining plate 54. suitable seals 49a of the 0 ring type may be used to prevent leakage about the valve body.

Associated with the outlet valve is a spring tensioned toggle mechanism that is adapted to release the above-described shaft latch mechanism when the valve is opened to discharge the ballast. The toggle mechanism issupported on a bracket 60 which fits over the upper end of the valve body 50 and may be secured to boss 43 by the same screws 5! which hold the valve body in place. As may be seen in Figs. 1 and 2, a pair of spaced vertical extensions Bl on the bracket support a transverse rod 62 which provides an anchor for one end of tension springs 63 and also serves as a pivot pin for a short toggle link E l maintained centrally between the vertical extensions by spacing collars 65. A horizontal extension 66 on the bracket may be bifurcated on its outer end to pivotally support the lower end of a trip lever 61 which carries a transverse pin 68 on its upper end and to which are anchored the other ends of tension springs 63. A pair of relatively long toggle links 69 pivotally secured to each side of trip lever 61' by a bolt 31a are connected to the short toggle link 34 by pivot pin 12. If desired, toggle links 69 may comprise a single link that is suitably bifurcated on each end for pivotal connection with lever 6'! and link 64. The toggle links 64 and 69 extend between a pair of spaced verticalextensions H which are afiixed to the upper end of valve stem 52. A transverse pin 10 inthe extensions engages the knee of the toggle and prevents it from' moving upwardly under the influence of tension springs 63 when the outlet valve is closed. It will be apparent, however, that if stem' 52 moves downwardly'to open the valve, pin will move the toggle links so that the knee is bent thereby permitting the upper end of trip lever filto be drawn to the right by the tension ofsprings 63. When-this occurs, a pair of elongated connecting rods 13 which are attached to a cross rod 14 carried by lever 61 are suddenly moved to the right, moving with them the lower ends of levers 46 to which they are pivotally connected. As levers 45 swing to ,the right, rollers .41 act, against. the. flange 48 moving cone 42 against the rollers-4| on the release arms until springs 44 are carried past the center of pin 38 at which time the arms swing rapidly outwardly under the influence of springs 44.

' The ballast outlet valve is opened by a sudden increase in pressure within chamber 20, occa sioned by the automatic opening of an air inlet valve 16 positioned in the upper right end of the head and suitably connected to the usual torpedo air flask (not shown) by tubing 11. The valve 16 operates to admit air to chamber 20 when the air pressure in the usual torpedo air flask is reduced below a certain point at the end of the torpedo run and serves to admit air into the ballast chamber 20. As the pressure by the opening of the outlet valve wherebysaid in the chamber 2!] rises it overcomes the resistance of outlet valve spring 53 and the valve stem 52 moves to open position to permit the expulsion of the liquid ballast through openings 58. The opening movement of the valve stem 52 actuates the shaft latch mechanism through the movement of the toggle mechanism associated with the ballast outlet valve as explained in detail above. Since shaft 2| is no longer restrained by the latch mechanism, the nosepiece I0 is acted upon by the increasing pressure in chamber 20 thereby moving the nosepiece and the cylindrical extension H outwardly to the left until the annular stop ring 16 at the right end of the extension engages shoulder 18 in body IS. The shaft 2| may be retained in projected position and the casin extended, even through the air pressure subsequently fails, by a spring urged plunger 18 mounted on the left end of bearing 26 for wedging engagement with the shaft. With the nosepiece and extension in extended position the length of the head has been increased and the chamber 20 has been likewise lengthened. It will be apparent that the capacity of the chamber is now much greater than it was at the start of the run and, since the liquid ballast has been replaced by air from the flask, the buoyancy of the torpedo has been increased so that it will rise to the surface regardless of its original weight.

It will be noted from Fig. 3 that the casing body member i3 may be cast or molded so as to provide integral supports for the air valve 16 and a torch 19 each of which is securely held in place by a cover plate Bil fitted into a recess in the wall of the body. The plate may be attached thereto by screws 8| as shown in Fig. 1. A similarly cast integral support and cover plate therefor may be provided for a headlight carried in the nosepiece.

It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing disclosure relates to only a preferred embodiment of the invention and that numerous modifications or alterations may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope securing means is released so that the chamber may be-expanded. I 2. In a torpedo exercise head, in combination, a-closed extensible'casing comprising a plurality of telescopically connected sections, a shaft rig iorreleasably securing the shaft to another sec tion, an inlet valve for admitting air into the casing, an outlet valve operable to discharge ballast from the casing as air is admitted thereinto, and a toggle'mechanism responsive to actuation of said outlet valve for releasing the latch mechanism whereby said casing may be extended to increase the buoyancy of the torpedo.

3. An exercise head for torpedoes comprising; a closed extensible casing, said casing including a body member, a cylindrical extension in telescopic engagement with the body, and a nosepiece attached to said extension; an inlet valve for admitting air into the casing; an outlet valve for expelling ballast from said casing; latch means for retaining said extension retracted in said body; and a toggle mechanism operable by movement of said outlet valve to release the latch means whereby said casing may be extended by the admission of air through said inlet valve.

4. An exercise head for torpedoes comprising a closed extensible casing, said casing including a body member, a cylindrical extension in telescopic engagement with said body member, a nosepiece attached to said extension, a shaft having one end attached to the nosepiece and the other end releasably secured to the body, an inlet valve for admitting air into the casing, an outlet valve for expelling ballast from said casing, a releasable latch mechanism engageable with the shaft for normally retaining the extension. retracted in the body, and a toggle mechanism operable by movement of said outlet valve for releasing the latch mechanism whereby said casing may be extended by the admission of air through said inlet valve.

5. The torpedo exercise head defined in claim 4 including means for retaining said casing in extended position.

6. An exercise head for torpedoes comprising a nosepiece movable axially with respect to the torpedo body structure, guide means for supporting said nosepiece in alignment with the longitudinal axis of the torpedo body structure, means for securing said nosepiece in retracted position, said securing means including a latch pin, toggle means engageable with said pin to retain the nose in retracted position, and pressure sensitive means to break the toggle and release the latch 7. A latch mechanism for an extensible nosepiece of a torpedo exercise head comprising; a latch block supported for movement with said amaaze nosepiece; toggle means engageable with said latch block to retain the nosepiece in retracted position; and means for freeing said toggle whereby the nosepiece may extend.

8. In a torpedo exercise head of the character described wherein a shaft is mounted for longitudinal movement therein, a latch mechanism comprising a plurality of swingably mounted arms engageable with the shaft in latching position, and a collar 'engageable with said arms to move them out of latching position whereby the shaft is freed for longitudinal. movement.

9. In a torpedo exercise head of the character described wherein a central shaft is supported for axial movement, a releasable latch mechanism for restraining said shaft against axial movement comprising; an adjustable latch block carried by said shaft, swingably mounted toggle .arms engageable with said block in latching position, a toggle spring normally positioning the arms in latching apposition to the block, and means for moving said arms to unlatched position so as to free said shaft for longitudinal movement.

' 8 10. In a torpedo exercise head of-the character described the combination with a valve having a movable stem of toggle arms supported adjacent said stem, a projection on said stem engageable with said arms to prevent bending of the toggle knee in one direction, and resilient means urging said arms against the projection when the valve is closed and operable to rapidly bend the toggle knee in the opposite direction when the valve opens.

THOMAS C. BOYLE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

